Formed in 2024, drummer / composer Tommy Whiteside’s instrumental jazz combo puts original hand-written music in front of a rotation of some of the best jazz musicians in the region (and beyond!). “Xanadu” is Tommy’s second full-length studio album, and his second full-length studio album released this year. The ensemble is young and exploding with energy, edge, and a deep appreciation for the world of jazz.

The music of “Xanadu” is cinematic and expressive, wandering from strange and colorful orchestrated harmonies, through free-improvisational landscapes, and into gritty bop-infused blues, always prioritizing melody and swing. Rhythmic interplay, unusual form, and melodic storytelling are cornerstones of this new material.

Whiteside met Jackie Sandberg (piano) at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle circa 2010. The rest of the ensemble met in Roseburg, playing in different funk, soul, and jazz outfits. Matt Krepky (tenor saxophone) teaches at Jean Bechtel Music School and plays with Roseburg’s FunkShui. Miles Halloran (trumpet) is currently studying at the New School in New York, Andrew Schnautz (trombone) at Oregon State University, Nathaniel Keller (alto saxophone) at Berklee School of Music in Boston, and Judah Sensabaugh at University of North Texas. They will all be in town for Winter Break, making this a rare and explosive reunion.

Tommy Whiteside is a drummer, composer, songwriter, and sound engineer based in Roseburg, Oregon. After graduating from Cornish College of the Arts with a bachelor’s degree in music composition in 2012, he kicked around Seattle, playing in multiple projects both as a side-man and bandleader until moving home to Southern Oregon in 2017. Now he is a founding member of Roseburg rock ‘n’ roll power-trio Widespread Haze, the drummer of the Umpqua Community College Big Horn Jazz Band, and full-time production manager at The Rosebud Theatre. This endeavor into instrumental music acts as his diary, combining his love of jazz and improvisation with his calling for community engagement and opportunity.